As a former fan of Myke Cole, I was looking forward to reading Siege Line, but given the recent allegations against him and the surfacing of his long history as a serial sexual harasser, I suppose it's a good thing I hadn't gotten to this one yet. I refuse to devote my time and attention to such people, and I certainly will not promote them on my website, podcast, or anywhere else. I will not be reading this book in light of recent events. I am hopeful, however, that he learns and grows from this and that, in time, he has made enough strides to be forgiven and that, perhaps, his work might be palatable once more. Right now, it's much too tainted and I am unable to separate the artist from the art.

1 star solely for the author being a bad human being.

This one fell flat for me. I really enjoyed he first two in the series but couldnt get myself tonfinish this book. I may try again in the future.

<p>Once in a while I like to get my fix of adventure fiction. As a teen I had read The Destroyer and The Avenger and Doc Savage and books of that nature, which were borderline pulps (or not-so-borderline in some cases). Finding books of that milieu today has been a bit more difficult for me - in part because I'm not sure where to look for them. When I came across this book and read the description it sounded exactly like what I've been looking for. </p>
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<p>James Schweitzer was a Navy SEAL when The Gemini Cell took everything from him ... including his life. Now, as a dead man, Schweitzer is the best chance for defense. As a dead man, brought to an un-dead state by scientists, Schweitzer is now a super soldier. He can't be easily killed, because he's already dead, and he has been gifted with heightened abilities. Now he can infiltrate the enemy compound and fight the enemy super-soldiers - creatures just like himself ... undead. But he's still just one man against an army of like-ability soldiers and even his fellow SEALS don't stand a chance against what amounts to a squad of vampires. One man might hold the key and he's in a remote area of the Alaskan wilderness - and there's an enemy base not too far away.</p>
<p>The book definitely has that military/adventure feel to it - precisely what I was looking for - and it has a strong fantasy bent with the vampire/un-dead soldiers as major characters. It may be strange to say this, but it reads more like a military novel than a fantasy novel, which is probably not surprising, given Cole's background.</p>
<p>On the other hand there wasn't enough action for me. I wrote the following note in my copy:</p>
<p>Horrible first chapter ... looks like it will be action but instead it's all talk and posturing and then enemies become partners too easily.</p>
<p>I'd like to say that this was only true in the opening chapter as Cole sets up the story, but that wouldn't be true. Too often, before an action sequence, we have to talk it to death. While it makes sense that in life you might want to talk about a plan to iron out the details, in fiction, especially military/fantasy/action fiction, we really just want to get to the action.</p>
<p>Fortunately, when there is action it is exciting and well-written. I just wish there was less back-patting and more doing.</p>
<p>Looking for a good book? If you like a fantasy/military mash-up then <em>Siege Line</em> by Myke Cole might be just right for you.</p>
<p>I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.</p>

This was my second Myke Cole story (after the novella Armored Saint, of which I had mixed feelings.) When I requested this book, I did not realize it was the concluding book to a trilogy, but was still able to get a summary of events through contextual clues.

The focus of the story is on Jim Schweitzer, a former Navy Seal, who has become a reanimated android with extensive preternatural powers. The Gemini Cell is responsible for controlling the magic behind the reanimation of soldiers like Jim, and their plans are revelaed to be nefarious. Jim takes it upon himself to eliminate the director of the firm and take down the company before it's evil influences spread too far and its power becomes too great.

One of the more interesting aspects of this story is the setting. Fort Resolution is a small town set in a frigid landscape in northern Canada. Cole successfully conveys the harshness of the territory and it has a definitive impact on the characters' actions throughout several parts of the story. I enjoy stories where the environment plays a major role in the story, and this book suceeded in that area.

The book contains some incredible action sequences, and Cole does a wonderful job of writing scenes of increasing tension and detailed combat situations. There is also a strong supporting cast -- one character in particular, Plante, has a great character arc and I found her role engaging. I would certainly like to have seen more of her in the story -- perhaps a prequel series or a short story would suffice!

It's difficult for me to judge the emotional impact of some of the bigger revelations in the story, as I was not privy to how these arcs were built over the full trilogy. I can, however, say that I was surprised at how well Cole handled these reveals, and how one in particular changed my perspective and added some nuance to the prototypical "good vs. bad" arc.

Overall, this prequel series ends on a high note, It is a fast-paced thriller with an intriguing mix of science fiction and military fantasy, with some interesting political statements (that not everyone might agree with) and some surprisingly deep character development for a novel of its type. After "Armored Saint," I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to continue exploring Cole's work, but "Siege Line" has convinced me to check out the Shadow Ops trilogy at some point in the near future.

A good portion of this book takes place in the far north. We get to experience a small town with all sorts of independent people—frontier livers, natives, veterans, etc.—who come together in a sort of community. Of course, this being a fantasy book, they're faced with superpowered undead.

I've never read this sort of undead before, or quite this combination with military action fiction. And Cole certainly knows how to write the action and suspense. Whether it's humans and undead facing off or people trudging across the frozen tundra, the story pulled me in.

The sense of place grabbed me, too. I've spent my whole life with snowy winters, driving through the snow, walking through the drifted woods, working to haul sledges, wood, pails of maple sap. Those parts of the story rung true.

This was my first Myke Cole novel, and I can see what people like about him. In the end, it didn't come completely together for me. It's just not the type of story I usually go for. I'm sure people who are more into this genre will eat this book right up, and I can see myself coming back when I'm in the mood. It's just that the mood doesn't happen that often for me.

Although I usually like military stories if there the main focus is the story not the battles, I'm usually not a fan of anything to do with zombies or stories about the undead. That being said I do love a good urban fantasy. I enjoyed the sincerity of the characters and cared about each one. It was an exciting read that seems to be open to more books in the series.

This book was a very good take on a ombie story! I did like the idea of having the fights in a sub-arctic environment since the snow and ice can take on different advantages for both sides! Very well done and can't wait for a possible sequel!

Not really my kind of book. Its heavily fantasy, not sci-fi. The action sequences are good, but perhaps too many. Thank you.

The below 4-star review was posted to Every Day Should Be Tuesday, Amazon, and Goodreads on 12/5/17:

Siege Line is book 3 in Cole’s Shadow Ops: Reawakening prequel trilogy and his sixth book in the Shadow Ops universe. I’ve been lucky enough to get my hands on an advance copy of each, and it has been interesting to see how Cole how evolved as a writer and storyteller. (You can find all of my reviews under my Military Fantasy tag).

If you haven’t read any of these books, the obvious question is where to start. Cole would tell you to start with the prequel trilogy. But the truth is that the author is the least reliable source of a reading order recommendation. It is only in very rare circumstances that publication order isn’t the way to go. No such exception exists here, and, frankly, the original Shadow Ops trilogy is the better trilogy (more on that after the jump).

Javelin Rain ends with undead super soldier Jim Schweitzer finally taking some initiative and turning the tables on the Cell. Schweitzer can finally start to go toe-to-toe with the Cell, and what follows is a whole heck of a lot of action that is far more satisfying than the weak chase from Javelin Rain.


As I mentioned above the jump, in Siege Line Schweitzer recruits outside help that allows him to face off against the Cell. Cole writes phenomenal action scenes. He always has. I have been very disappointed at how few he has included in this prequel trilogy. Cole really makes up for it in Siege Line. He knows his military and he’s done his homework, and it shows.

Siege Line introduces a new character, Wilma “Mankiller” Plante, a Dene (First Nations people), veteran, and sheriff of a small town in the Northwest Territories of Canada. I won’t spoil things, but Mankiller gets caught up in the titular siege. She is a great character, if rather obviously written by a white guy trying to show you how woke he is (I mentioned Mankiller is Dene—you won’t miss that, because Cole has her mention it with every other breath).

I only have a couple of problems with the book.

One is a bit of bad storytelling on Cole’s part (SPOILERS to follow). Schweitzer is a super-soldier in every way. But when he finally squares off against the Director, the Director curb-stomps him. Fair enough. But when the Director goes up against Mankiller, she effortlessly kicks his butt. I understand why Cole wants that to happen, but it undercuts his earlier work building up Schweitzer and the Director. The Director, who is supposed to be supremely chilling, winds up almost a comic character, and Schweitzer looks like a punk (END SPOILERS).

My other real complaint is that, while the climax works to cap off the narrower story, it doesn’t give us any sort of bigger picture. That is a bigger issue because this is a prequel series. Cole really owes his reader a bridge between the two series. (It may be that he wants to write another series, but (1) no, move forward in time and (2) he doesn’t really set that up either.) As a big fan of the first series, I was disappointed that Cole didn’t more closely tie it to the prequel series.

4 of 5 Stars.



Disclosure: The publisher sent me a review copy.

A fine finale to the trilogy. I didn't see the villain twist coming, which means I was invested in the story and not overthinking it.

Siege Line by Myke Cole is the 3rd and final novel in the Gemini Cell trilogy, a prequel series to the Shadow-Ops military fantasy series. Siege Line completes the story of Jim Schweitzer, former Navy Seal. The novel picks up immediately after the events of Javelin Rain.

The Great Reawakening (the return of magic to the world) has not yet happened (read the Shadow-Ops trilogy for more on that). Magic is being used by the Gemini Cell to create 'zombies' - dead animated by the souls of powerful and evil jinns pulled from the soul storm by a sorcerer. Jim is one of those animated by magic. He is superhuman with a body that is part metal part flesh. He has magical abilities - super strength, extremely acute hearing and sight, and more. Jim has decided that the Gemini Cell and its Director must be eliminated and he will go to any lengths to assure that.

Much of the action in Siege Line takes place in the Northwest Territory of Canada in around the very small village of Fort Resolution. Cole's description of Fort Resolution and the surrounding frigid and snow swept area is vivid. He has more than done his homework when it comes to the area and the people who live there.

Cole introduces many of the residents of Fort Resolution. I am particularly taken with Wilma "Mankiller" Plante, an Afghanistan veteran and the sheriff of Fort Resolution, and one of her deputies Joe Yakecan. Both are pivotal to the novel especially Mankiller who more or less steals the show. Mankiller is of great interest to the Director of Gemini Cell, which means that Jim will do anything to help her.

This is Cole's most emotionally complex novel. Schweitzer's desire to hold on to his humanity, to be with his son again, and to set things right regardless of the cost to himself is palpable throughout the story. Cole delves into the emotions of many of his characters as they face finding out about magic in the world and about devastating loss. Mankiller is deeply developed and her background and motivations are clear. We learn much more about the Director of Gemini Cell and what makes him tick.

There is a very big reveal that is both heartbreaking and makes perfect sense after I got over the shock. I definitely had a "wow" moment followed by an "of course!" moment. Kudos for Cole for both startling me and making so many pieces fall into place with that reveal.

Cole has matured as a novelist throughout the Shadow-Ops and Gemini Cell trilogies. Siege Line is beautifully written with near perfect pacing. It is action packed with nailbiting fight sequences, close escapes, and terrible losses. The cast of characters is exceptionally well drawn.

Am I sad that this was the last novel in the Shadow-Ops world? Incredibly. Cole ends the series on such a high note with so much hope that it's hard to stay sad for long. Siege Line is a wonderful novel full of believable characters, exhilarating action, heroes to cheer for, and so much heart.

The final book (for now) of Myke Cole's Shadow Ops world is a fitting sendoff. After not connecting as viscerally with Javelin Rain, I was intensely engrossed with Siege Line. Mankiller is my favorite character since Bookbinder, and it's obvious that Myke's passion for the subject matter and research held him in good stead.

This book is highly recommended, especially to those who have served or are a fan of thrillers. I make a habit of recommending Control Point and Gemini Cell whenever friends ask for recommendations.

I didn't realize, going in, that this was part of a series, and there's quite a bit of backstory. Although I did manage to catch up quite nicely, you'd be better off starting at the beginning. In fact, Siege Line was so good that I'll probably read the first two to see exactly what I missed.

There's a lot to like about this series. The world building is great, with lots of innovative ideas. The fight scenes are entertainingly realistic. But my favorite is the occasional deadpan humor that pops up.

"What's it like, being dead?"
"People keep asking me this."
"Well, it's the kind of thing people want to know. What's it like?"
"It sucks. Stay alive for as long as you can."
Reeves laughed. "No, I mean. Is there a God? Did you meet him?"
"I already asked him all this," Ghaznavi said, not looking up from her laptop.
"What'd he say?"
"He already told you. Being dead sucks."

I had the impression this might be a trilogy, but James is hunting for his son, so there'll be at least one more book.

*ARC via netgalley*

Siege Line rounds out the Reawakening Trilogy and does it most magnificently. Myke Cole has become a really excellent author. In this book, he makes characters come alive effortlessly and keeps up a ferocious pace throughout the entire novel.

The book takes place mostly in a remote village in the Canadian territories. I don't know much about how Canada has dealt with their native population and the ins and outs of the legal aspects of living in the territories but one thing is certain: these people are on their own. They exist with whatever technology and gear they can cobble together, and they are the very definition of rugged.

The big bad of the series lost his best necromancer in the last book. He needs someone able to put spirits into bodies to create fearsome undead warriors and also for his own long-term goals. If you've ever read much about the skinwalker legends, you'll recognize it when he finds a bit of intel that what he needs is up in the frozen Yukon.

For the first time in this series, our hero Schweitzer ends up with a team of sorts. He finds allies both within the government and in Canada as well. The author does a good job of making these people scarily competent but not infallible. Mistakes are made and not everyone makes it out of combat missions. That helped keep the tension high because I didn't know if the characters I was getting attached to would survive.

Myke Cole clearly believes that service to one's countrymen is a high calling. He honors those who serve, but doesn't fetishize them, which I appreciate. Coming from a military family, I know it's not an easy way of life and it can leave scars. But the military is a profession, not a sainthood.

The action/combat scenes are incredibly smooth and clear and exciting. I love a good action scene, be it in a movie or a book, and these are easily enough to keep reading more of this author.

I was pretty dubious about how the story of Jim Schweitzer would end- it didn't seem that there could be any way for him to have any kind of happiness. All I'll say in the end is that it looks like his story is not done if the author wants to do more with this character, but I'm content if that doesn't happen. There's no one else writing quite like this author does that I'm aware of. Enjoy!

Siege Line is the third in Myke Cole’s ‘Reawakening’ trilogy. The first two books in the series looked at a world where magic was gradually returning, and in particular at an off-the-books government program which, as you might expect, picks up the magic, runs with it, and maybe takes it a bit too far.

The first two books were fast-paced thrillers, liberally mixing magical weirdness with entirely plausible tactical action and emotionally raw characters. Siege Line picks up on these narrative traits, and dials them up to eleven. The action takes place across suburban Virginia and the somewhat less populated Canadian Northwest Territories. Virginia we’ve seen before, though the various government offices do manage to carry the whiff of glacial bureaucracy about them. That they also carry the scent of smart people doing important and occasionally lethal work is a credit to Cole’s tight and evocative prose.

That prose gets a workout when it comes to dealing with the wilds of Canada. Cole brings the stark, pristine geography of the area to life. There’s a sense of the wilderness, of the potential for isolation, floating through the story at times, and it dovetails well with sime of the characterisation; our protagonist, Schweitzer, is increasingly isolated from his family, and from his humanity – and that social isolation is evoked and made more visible to the reader by placing it within a similarly lonely geography.

By contrast, the treatment of the people of the Territories is positive and sympathetic. Living alongside the wilderness, they’re a people dependent on their own skills, and on each other, to get through the day. When the day involves black-ops government agencies and magicians, even more so. This is a town of flawed people, to be sure, but they’re all prepared to hang together. That spirit, that energy, is clear on the page – and helps bring the characters within to life.
Speaking of the characters…well, for one, we’re back with Jim Schweitzer. Aside from having a name that’s fun to say, Schweitzer is an ex-SEAL, devoted to his family, and, well, dead. But he got better. Here, he’s a man with a mission – gutting the programme which brought him back from the dead. There’s a palpable sense of duty to Schweitzer, whose principled idealism works alongside his personal connections to his family to make him personable, and easy to empathise with. Of some interest is Schweitzer’s realisation that he’s increasingly disassociated from the things which have helped keep him human in the first two books – as he struggles to come to terms with his new un-life as a monster, and works to retain his essential humanity. As a hero, Schweitzer works well – and his internal conflicts both let him feel genuine and provide a great read.

Then there’s Wilma 'Mankiller' Plante, sherriff of a town out in the Northwest Territories. I have to admit, as the book went on, I found myself looking forward to Plante’s sections more and more. She’s smart, pithy, witty, and capable. In a series which has the potential to be full of super-powered monsters beating on each other, Plante is an example of a normal, competent person, doing their job under increasingly dire circumstances, and doing it well. Siege Line is a book full of solid, convincing characterisation, and I bought into Plante’s almost immediately; she has an intensity and focus that sit alongside an unflinching emotional honesty that make her escapades a joy to read. There’s a colourful supporting cast as well – from surprisingly-wise senators, through Operators old and new, to CIA bureaucrats. Each is distinguishable, and memorable, and their efforts (and occasional demise) have an impact.

The plot – as ever, we’ll try and stay spoiler free. But it’s a very well-paced book. There’s the building tension in the Canadian Territories, a sense of an unexpected storm coming in. Plante and her deputy walking the wilderness are our eyes on something which feels like it might get out of control. At the same time, Schweitzer is out there, trying to take on the Gemini Cell, bringing wrath and destruction down upon them. There’s the same kinetic gunplay and close quarters fighting which Cole encapsulated so well in his previous works, and here he once again writes some rock-solid, heart-pounding action scenes. The small unit tactics always seemed plausible to me as a reader, and it’s always nice to see characters acting thoughtfully about how to achieve their objective, military or otherwise. That the plausible action also has a cinematic edge, an artful sense of destructive space, a way of making it viscerally real – well, that’s great too. But whilst there really is a fair amount of fast-paced, stormingly good action here, it’s the quieter moments of character which make us care about the action. From Schweitzer’s meditations on who he wants or needs to be, through the thoughtful and considered treatment of First Nations culture and its impacts on Plante, to the emotionally charged, razor-sharp dialogue from Schweitzer and the mysterious Director of the Gemini Cell – there’s a humanity, or lack of it in play here which both keeps the reader invested and also quietly invites them to think about who they are and what they value.

In the end, this is a smart, precision-crafted military thriller. It has great characterisation, solid worldbuilding and explosive action, and as such, I’m inclined to recommend it to fans of the series, without reservation. If you’re already invested in the adventures of Jim Schweitzer, then this is a book you owe it to yourself to read. If you’re coming to it fresh, I’d say it could work as a stand-alone, but you’ll get far more emotional context and investment if you go back and start at the beginning with “Gemini Cell” – trust me, it’s worth it.

Siege Line is an action-packed book with a male lead you would care for and a thrilling plot that will make you thrilled to the bones. There's a strong military element in the story and if you like DC and Marvel comics, this book offers a visual knockout narration that could go on par with the Superhero powerhouses.

http://www.shelfinflicted.com/2017/09/siege-line-reawakening-trilogy-3-by.html

I really enjoyed the fast pace of the book after the world and some of the characters had been established in the first two books in the Reawaking series.

The story takes you to the Canadian North and gives a believable small town in the winter. The new characters are fleshed of quickly and you root for the new major characters really fast.

Military fiction is not a genre I usually read but Myke Cole does a good job showing it without making the military the main focus. It comes across as written by someone who has lived that life but let's it stay in the small details. This book and series is more fantasy than military.

Book Review

Impressions
This marvelous tale shaped as a game of war centered on the realities of governmental and military intrigue is engaging.

I didn’t begin this read expecting to immerse myself in an absorbing video combat game…but I received my just rewards. This is good stuff. The author has composed a world where I had buy in and wanted to read about the “good” ending. There’s complete absorption into a new and surreal reality.

As in all battles fields with each bloody fight comes loss. Every single word in this read brings feelings of frozen tears after dreadful discoveries of loss comrades and the pain of a fight gone badly.

Emotions of the brave

Conveying in words the layering of emotions fighters experience during Black Ops missions is difficult. Even with increasing difficulty so is lassoing the readers imagination and pulling their minds into a world where video games is life and you care what ordinance round will strike whom. Reading passages composed of military common language pulled me into the script as an ignorant bystander. But as dreadful as weapon fire and physical death is, there’s spiritual meme in this story that takes the reader to more haunting discoveries.

Up near Yellowknife in Canada’s Northwest Territories where winter’s dark last for months, there remains fantastical stories of spirit-filled animals and wolf lore. It is pleasing to see how well they are adapted to this storyline.

“Why not be the monster? Why are you trying so hard to be human? You’re not a human anymore.” ~ Schweitzer from Siege Line

Favorite character is Navy SEAL James Schweitzer. This author has achieved for me what no cable network writer is unable to….make me like the walking dead. May I offer a bravo… bravissimo to Myke Cole’s gifts of characterization creation?

Story/Plot/Conflict
Dedicated to a discipline that structured a belief in God and country that few understand, he gave the ultimate sacrifice. A train soldier and killer James Schweitzer became the ultimate living dead. But service to his country is far from being over. This career soldier discovers after his resurrection that there is more than just duty to country, there’s a pledge to humanity’s survival and a hidden son. The country he once held allegiance holds enemies within who’s dedicated to world dominion. They use genetically augmented death dealing beings…not dead but not alive and with superhuman strength. It’s magic.

James Schweitzer is the supreme undead warrior, a Navy SEAL who’s called upon to marshal and lead forces against those who threaten with magic like his own. Demon possessed misshapen bodies follow the dictates of a government experiment usurped and turned bad by an unknown evil the Director.

The SEAL Jim Schweitzer faces slim odds in saving his country. But he gains a strong comradery with powerful government officials and a brave Dene Indian from the great Northwest Territories. Wilma “Mankiller” Plante is a retired Afghanistan soldier turned local sheriff. She proves as strong as any SEAL.

My Main Characterizations
James Schweitzer once a living Navy SEAL is the hero with the cunning skill of an extreme military Operator.

Sheriff Wilma “Mankiller” Plante this was her town her people and her Dene tribe, the responsibilities of their survival and humanity fell to her. Gaining super warrior bona fetes in Afghanistan…she knew how to defeat a superhuman enemy.

Critiques
Put simply…this is good stuff and a good read. Thank you Myke Cole

Genre:
Adventure, War Games, Military, Contemporary Fiction